Process of defecating sugar-juices.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT VERLEY, OF OOURBEVOIE, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE SOOIETEANGLO-FRANOAISE DES PARFUMS PERFEOTIONNES, LIMITED, OF LON- DON,ENGLAND.

PROCESS OF DEFECATINGV SUGAR-JUICES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,363, dated November21, 1899. Application filed Jul 1, 1898- Serial No. 684,979. (Nospecimens.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT VERLEY, electrician, a citizen of the FrenchRepublic, and a resident; of 7 Quai de Seine, Oourbevoie, near Paris,France, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture ofSugar, (for which applications for patents have been made in GreatBritain, No. 1,131, January 14, 1898; in Spain March 23, 1898;

10 in Germany March 14:, 1898; in Belgium February 8, 1898; in Russia,January 22, 1898, R. S.; in Austria March 16, 1898; in Hungary March 8,1898, and in India,) of which the following is a specification.

1 5 This invention consists in an improved mode of effecting thepurification of the juice of beet-root or sugar-cane or other vegetablejuices containing sugar, by means of which it is possible in a moreconvenient and expeditious manner to decolorize the juice and to removefrom it organic impurities and odor. It is a development of theinvention for which I applied forLetters Patent, Serial N 0. 653,810,filed October 2, 1897, and renders the process of purifyingsugar-containing j uices by means of ozone, to which such applicationfor Letters Patent relates, more convenient and better suited forindustrial use. The process according to the present invention isapplicable to such juice at any stage of its manufacture before it isdecolorized, and even to molasses and like fluids when sufficientlydiluted to permit of its use; but for convenience sake I will describeit as applied to the juice of beet-root prepared in the ordinary Wayforthe manufacture of sugar. The juice is taken after it has beenrendered slightly alkaline, either by the addition of an alkali or analkaline earth or by the ordinary treatment with lime and carbonic acid.The degree of alkalinity which is preferred is about 0.2 gram per liter.It is then by preference filtered and cooled to about 20 centigrade.Ozone or ozonized air is then caused to bubble through the juice. Forcommercial purposes there should be active agitation during the processof ozonization, even to the point of producing a temporary mixture, inorder to quicken the action of the ozone and to render it more regularand complete. The ozone at first passes rapidly into combination withthe organic matter; but after a while this action becomes less energeticand but little ozone is absorbed. For this reason the ozone or ozonizedair should be made to pass in succession through several vesselscontaining juice, which are in turn out off from its action when theozonization is complete, emptied, and refilled with other j nice to betreated. The ozone or ozonized air enters by the ves- 6o sel of theseries that contains the. juice that has been least exposed to theaction of the ozone and leaves by the one that has been longest exposedto that action. In this way the process can be worked as a continuousprocess and the juice in each vessel receives an equal treatment withozone. When the ozone is first applied, the color of the juice usuallyappears to become somewhat deeper; but this subsequently passes away,and the termination of the process of ozonization is marked by itsbecoming colorless. For the purpose of this process of ozonization theuse of iron vats is preferred, which may, if desired, be lined withlead. used, it is found that the ozone attacks the wood and formscoloring-matter, which prevents the decolori zation from taking place.

Where ozonized air is used, all traces-of acid which may be formedduring the production of the ozone should be removed either by passingit through limewvater or otherwise. To complete the process ofpurification, the juice has now to be treated with a reducing agent andthe organic matters which exist as impurities have to be removed. .Thisis efiected in the following way: An active reducing agent is taken,such as the zinc-copper couple of Gladstone and Tribe, and is added tothe juice, which for this purpose is heated to, say, 0 80 centigrade. Bythis means the organic matters are reduced and at the same timeprecipitated along with the reducing agent, or the aluminium amalgam ofVVislicenus, which has the advantage of working in the cold, may beused, or the sulphate of the protoxide of chrome or manganese, in whichlatter case it is preferable to form these bodies If wooden vats are 75g In the specification of my aforesaid. previous application for LettersPatent I proposed the use of sulphurous acid (which is a reducing agent)after the ozonization. It has now been found that its suitability wassolely due to its reducing action and that the like result can beobtained by other reducing agents, as above set forth, which offeradvantages in practice over the use of sulphurous acid in the mannerdescribed in the said former specification. Sulphu rous acid can also bemade use of in a more advantageous way, as follows: In working withjuice of the alkalinity above mentioned continue the treatment withsulphurous acid till an acidity of about one gram per liter is attained,and then neutralize with an alkaline earth, preferably baryta, and warmto a temperature of from to 80 centigrade. This brings about aprecipitation, which leaves the juice clear and free from organicimpurities, or there may be added to the j uice while it is beingtreated with sulphurous acid some zinc powder or other reducing metal,which causes hydrosulphurous acid to be formed, or there maybe added tothe juice hydrosulphurous acid which has been already formed. In eachcase add an alkaline earth, preferably baryta, and warm, as before.

The above reducing agents can be used separately or in combination, andin general any reducing agent or agents can be used which are from theirother physical properties suitable-i. 0., which do not leave in thejuice foreign substances not capable of ready elimination.

The red ucing agents specially mentioned-- viz. ,zinc-copper couple,aluminium amalgam, sulphate of protoxide of chrome or manganese, andelectrolysis-can also be used to advantage in the process of purifyingthe juice when ozone is not used, as they decolorize and enable aportion of the organic matter to be removed.

In the following claim, where one of the reducing agents is mentioned,it is to be understood as including the other reducing agentshereinbefore specified, all of which are equivalents for the purposeindicated.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of thisinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is The hereiirdescribed process of purifying the juice ofbeet-root or sugar-cane or other solutions of sugar containing organicimpurities, consisting in first subjecting the liquid to the action ofozone or ozonized air after it has been rendered alkaline, and thentreating the liquid with zinc-copper couple for the purpose of reducingthe same, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT VERLEY.

\Vitnesses:

MAURICE BAUBEY, A. MEMOR.

